Charles e



(No Model.)

0. E. OQEDEY. GAR COUPLING.

No. 450,578. Patented Apr. 14,1891.

CHARLES E. C. EDEY, OF DES MOINES, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO E. P. Sl-IEERER, D. M. FIKE, AND \V. P. GRAHAM, ALL OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 450,578, dated April 14, 1891.

Application filed December 15, 1890. Serial No. 374,666. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. O. EDEY, a citizen of Great Britain, and a resident of Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented an Automatic Car-Coupling, of which the following is a specification.

My object is to automatically couple cars by means of links and spherical balls; and my invention consists in the construction and combination of a draw-head, links and balls, and ball-lifting mechanism, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1 and 2 are longitudinal sectional views of my draw-heads, illustrating the construction of link-andball cavities and the combination of balls, links, and link-lifting devices therewith. Fig.3 is an enlarged section of a link specially adapted to engage a ball as required in coupling cars. Fig. 4 is a perspective View showing one of my drawheads applied to a car as required for practical use.

A represents a draw-head that is cast complete in one piece. It has a mouth of common form and a link-and-ball cavity B, intersecting the contracted rear portion of the mouth adapted to engage a ball. In Fig. 1 the ball-cavity has a solid roof and an opening in its bottom adaptedto admit a ball into the cavity before the ball-lifting device is applied. In Fig. 2 a covered opening is provided in the top to admit the passage of one or two balls into the cavity, and the cavit-yis of such conformation that the one ball will rest upon the other ball when a link is engaged thereby, and will by its force of gravity aid in keeping the lower ball within the link and the end of the link within the cavity and securely coupled to the draw-head.

D is a slot in the under side and center of the draw-head, intersecting the cavity 13 and extending rearward therefrom.

H is a ball-lifting lever pivoted in the slot D. The front end and top edge of this lever is convex and adapted to engage a ball and lift it, whenever the rear end of the lever is depressed, in such a manner that the end of a link J, engaged by the ball, will be liberated as required to uncouple cars.

K is a rock-shaft in bearings attached to the draw-head to extend at right angles and opposite directions therefrom in such a manner that it can be readily operated by a person at the side of the car.

L is an eccentric fixed to the shaft K in such a manner that it will be in contact with the under edge of the lever H and lift the front end of the lever and the ball that is in engagement with a link as required in uncoupling. The underside of the lever is preferably made concave at the point where it is engaged by the camL.

M (shown in Fig. 2) is a screw extended through the draw-head and provided with a hand-wheelat its top in such a manner that its lower end will engage the rear end of the lever II as required to operate it.

Dotted lines in Fig. 1 indicate that the shaft K and cam L may be located at the rear end of the lever II to depress the rear end of the lever in place of lifting the front end thereof.

In Fig. 3,? represents a concave formed in the inside of the end of link J to admit the convex surface of a ball and to prevent the link from slipping away from the ball, or vice versa. This concave is not essential in sccuring a link of common form by means of a ball, but may be advantageous.

It is obvious that cars equipped with my coupling will be automatically coupled when they come together on a track, and that they can be readily uncoupled by means of the ball-lifting mechanism whenever desired and without going between the cars. It is also obvious that alink will have longitudinal and vertical play when two cars are connected thereby, and that it will be automatically released as required to uncouple a car whenever a car is derailed and turned on its side, so as to allow the ball in the end of the link to roll out of the link and the link to escape from the draw-head.

I claim as my invention 1. In a car-coupling, the combination of a movable ball with an open link as a means of retaining the link in the link-cavity for the purpose of connecting and disconnecting cars. 2. A link of common form provided with a concave in the inside of its end portion, in

the manner set forth, for the purposes stated. 1' the mouth, concaves O at the top and bottom 3. A draw-head having an open mouth at of the contracted rear end of the month, 21, its front end,a link-and-hail cavity intersectslot D, intersecting the bottom of the cavity ing the rear and contracted end of the mouth, 13, a iever H, and a rock-shaft K, having a a longitudinal slot intersecting the bottom of fixed cam L, arranged and combined and apthe 1ink-and-ba11cavity,aiever or bail-lifting plied to a car to operate in the manner set device in said slot, and mechanism for actuati forth, for the purposes stated. ing the lever to iifta bail Within the link fli-IARLES E. C. EDEY. cavity, for the purposes stated.

4. A draw-bar having a mouth at its front 1 end, a cavity B, intersecting the rear end of Witnesses:

IE. P. SHEERER, THOMAS G. URWIG. 

